Modular surgical robotic tool

ABSTRACT

A robotic surgical arm includes a puck containing motors to drive an end effector. A tool assembly attached to the puck generates ultrasonic and/or radio frequency energy to apply to tissue disposed between the jaws of the end effector. The tool assembly can include modular components such as a modular shaft that can include an ultrasonic transducer, nonvolatile memory, wireless interface, and/or a power source. The power source allows the modular shaft to communicate wirelessly with the robotic arm. The tool assembly can be moved from one robotic arm to another while remaining powered by the power source. The tool assembly can include sensors to determine a location or movement of the tool assembly after being detached from the robotic surgical arm. The modular shaft can be moved from a robotic arm to a handle manually controlled by a surgeon and back again to the robotic arm.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/238,022 entitled “Modular Surgical Robotic Tool” filed Aug. 16, 2016,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

Methods and devices are provided for robotic surgery, and in particularfor wireless communications between components of a robotic surgicalsystem.

BACKGROUND

Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) instruments are often preferred overtraditional open surgical devices due to the reduced post-operativerecovery time and minimal scarring. Laparoscopic surgery is one type ofMIS procedure in which one or more small incisions are formed in theabdomen and a trocar is inserted through the incision to form a pathwaythat provides access to the abdominal cavity. The trocar is used tointroduce various instruments and tools into the abdominal cavity, aswell as to provide insufflation to elevate the abdominal wall above theorgans. The instruments and tools can be used to engage and/or treattissue in a number of ways to achieve a diagnostic or therapeuticeffect. Endoscopic surgery is another type of MIS procedure in whichelongate flexible shafts are introduced into the body through a naturalorifice.

Although traditional minimally invasive surgical instruments andtechniques have proven highly effective, newer systems can provide evenfurther advantages. For example, traditional minimally invasive surgicalinstruments often deny the surgeon the flexibility of tool placementfound in open surgery. Difficulty is experienced in approaching thesurgical site with the instruments through the small incisions.Additionally, the added length of typical endoscopic instruments oftenreduces the surgeon's ability to feel forces exerted by tissues andorgans on the end effector. Furthermore, coordination of the movement ofthe end effector of the instrument as viewed in the image on thetelevision monitor with actual end effector movement is particularlydifficult, since the movement as perceived in the image normally doesnot correspond intuitively with the actual end effector movement.Accordingly, lack of intuitive response to surgical instrument movementinput is often experienced. Such a lack of intuitiveness, dexterity andsensitivity of endoscopic tools has been found to be an impediment inthe increased the use of minimally invasive surgery.

Over the years a variety of minimally invasive robotic systems have beendeveloped to increase surgical dexterity as well as to permit a surgeonto operate on a patient in an intuitive manner. Telesurgery is a generalterm for surgical operations using systems where the surgeon uses someform of remote control, e.g., a servomechanism, or the like, tomanipulate surgical instrument movements, rather than directly holdingand moving the tools by hand. In such a telesurgery system, the surgeonis typically provided with an image of the surgical site on a visualdisplay at a location remote from the patient. The surgeon can typicallyperform the surgical procedure at the location remote from the patientwhilst viewing the end effector movement on the visual display duringthe surgical procedure. While viewing typically a three-dimensionalimage of the surgical site on the visual display, the surgeon performsthe surgical procedures on the patient by manipulating master controldevices at the remote location, which master control devices controlmotion of the remotely controlled instruments.

While significant advances have been made in the field of roboticsurgery, there remains a need for improved methods, systems, and devicesfor use in robotic surgery.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a system is provided that in some embodiments includes afirst electromechanical arm configured for movement in multiple axes anda second electromechanical arm configured for movement in multiple axes,a tool driver attached to the first electromechanical arm such thatpower is supplied to the tool driver from the first electromechanicalarm, and wherein the tool driver includes a wireless interface and abattery enabling removal of the tool driver from the firstelectromechanical arm and placement of the tool driver in the secondelectromechanical arm without restarting the tool driver, and aprocessing unit in wireless communication with the tool driver.

The system can vary in many different ways. For example, the tool drivercan include at least one of a radio frequency generator and anultrasonic transducer. As another example, the tool driver can includeat least a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store calibrationinformation related to the at least one of the radio frequencygenerator, the ultrasonic transducer, and usage information related tothe tool driver. In some embodiments, the tool driver includes an endeffector that is at least one of released and reloaded after the tooldriver is removed from the first electromechanical arm.

In some embodiments, the system includes a sensor configured todetermine one or more position changes when the tool driver was movedfrom the first electromechanical arm to the second electromechanicalarm. The sensor can include at least one of an accelerometer, a gyro, arelative position sensor, and a three-dimensional magnetic sensor. Thesensor can be configured to generate position information characterizingthe one or more position changes, wherein the position information istransmitted via the wireless interface from the tool driver to theprocessing unit.

In another aspect, a method is provided that in some embodimentsincludes attaching a tool driver that includes an energy transducer anda wireless interface configured to communicate to a processing unit to afirst electromechanical arm of a surgical robot such that the firstelectromechanical arm provides electrical power to the tool driver,removing the tool driver from the first electromechanical arm, whereinafter removal from the first electromechanical arm, the tool drivercontinues to communicate with the processing unit via the wirelessinterface, wherein electrical power is provided to the tool driver by abattery, and attaching the tool driver to a second electromechanical armof the surgical robot, wherein when the tool driver is attached to thesecond electromechanical arm, the second electromechanical arm provideselectrical power to the tool driver. The tool driver continues tocommunicate with the processing using via the wireless interface.

The method can vary in many different ways. For example, the energytransducer can include at least one of a radio frequency generator andan ultrasonic transducer. As another example, the tool driver includesat least a memory, wherein the memory stores calibration informationrelated to the at least one of the radio frequency end effector, theultrasonic transducer, and usage information related to the tool driver.As yet another example, the tool driver can include an end effector thatis at least one of released and reloaded after the tool driver isremoved from the first electromechanical arm. As a further example, thetool driver can include a sensor to determine one or more positionchanges when the tool driver was moved from the first electromechanicalarm to the second electromechanical arm.

In some embodiments, the sensor includes at least one of anaccelerometer, a gyro, a relative position sensor, and athree-dimensional magnetic sensor. In some embodiments, the sensor cangenerate position information characterizing the one or more positionchanges, wherein the position information is transmitted via thewireless interface from the tool driver to the processing unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be more fully understood from the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a surgicalrobotic system that includes a patient-side portion and a user-sideportion with the patient-side portion including at least one robotic armconfigured to releasably couple to a tool assembly;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the robotic arm of FIG. 1 having anembodiment of a tool assembly releasably coupled to the robotic arm;

FIG. 3 illustrates a tool driver of the robotic arm of FIG. 2 having oneor more motors that control a variety of movements and actionsassociated with the tool assembly;

FIG. 4 illustrates a part of a puck actuation assembly contained withinthe puck of the tool assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 illustrates the puck of FIG. 4 coupled to the driver with theactuators extending from the driver into the puck and engaging drivingmembers;

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of a robotic surgical system thatincludes a wireless communication system;

FIG. 7 illustrates transferring a tool assembly from a first robotic armto a second robotic arm;

FIG. 8A illustrates another embodiment of a puck of a tool assembly;

FIG. 8B illustrates an end-view of the puck of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a modular shaft of a tool assembly;

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an embodiment of a modular shaft that isswappable from a robotic arm (FIG. 10A) and a handle that can bemanually manipulated (FIG. 10B);

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate an embodiment of a modular shaft that isswappable between a handle that can be manually manipulated (FIG. 11A)and a robotic arm (FIG. 11B);

FIG. 12A illustrates another embodiment of a surgical tool including anadapter and a modular shaft configured in a robotic arm;

FIG. 12B illustrates an expanded view of the surgical tool of FIG. 12Awith an adapter and a modular shaft;

FIG. 12C illustrates an expanded view of the surgical tool of FIG. 12Aconfigured for use with a handle that can be manually manipulated;

FIG. 13A illustrates various embodiments of modular transducers andmodular shafts;

FIG. 13B illustrates various embodiments of modular tool drivers;

FIG. 14 illustrates movement and rotation along one of the three axes ina Cartesian frame; and

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain exemplary embodiments will now be described to provide anoverall understanding of the principles of the structure, function,manufacture, and use of the devices and methods disclosed herein. One ormore examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the devices andmethods specifically described herein and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments and thatthe scope of the present invention is defined solely by the claims. Thefeatures illustrated or described in connection with one exemplaryembodiment may be combined with the features of other embodiments. Suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included within thescope of the present invention.

Further, in the present disclosure, like-named components of theembodiments generally have similar features, and thus within aparticular embodiment each feature of each like-named component is notnecessarily fully elaborated upon. Additionally, to the extent thatlinear or circular dimensions are used in the description of thedisclosed systems, devices, and methods, such dimensions are notintended to limit the types of shapes that can be used in conjunctionwith such systems, devices, and methods. A person skilled in the artwill recognize that an equivalent to such linear and circular dimensionscan easily be determined for any geometric shape. Sizes and shapes ofthe systems and devices, and the components thereof, can depend at leaston the anatomy of the subject in which the systems and devices will beused, the size and shape of components with which the systems anddevices will be used, and the methods and procedures in which thesystems and devices will be used.

The systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein can be implementedusing a robotic surgical system.

In general, a surgical robotic system is described that can assist withperforming surgical procedures on a patient. Such procedures can requirethe robotic surgical system to move at least one surgical arm andmanipulate a tool assembly that is removably and replaceably coupled toeach robotic arm. For example, a tool assembly can have an end effectorthat includes a cutting tool configured to assist with cutting tissue ofa patient. The robotic surgical system can further include a controlsystem that controls movement and manipulation of either the robotic armor the tool assembly. In preparation for a surgical procedure, forexample, a tool assembly can be releasably coupled to a first roboticarm and can be configured by the control system while coupled to thefirst robotic arm. The tool assembly can assist with performing one ormore parts of a surgical procedure and subsequently uncoupled from thefirst robotic arm. After becoming uncoupled from the first robotic arm,the tool assembly can be either releasably coupled to a second roboticarm or used manually by a user. Such displacement of the tool assemblyrelative to the first robotic arm can result in loss of informationrelated to the tool assembly, such as configuration information,location information, and status information. Such loss of informationcan be a result of the uncoupling of the tool assembly from the firstrobotic arm and can prolong surgical procedures due to the surgicalrobotic system having to either be re-calibrated or the user having tore-configure the tool assembly. As such, in order to provide continuoustransfer of data and information between the tool assembly and thecontrol system, the surgical robotic system described herein includes anembodiment of a wireless communication system that allows at least thetool assembly and control system to communicate wirelessly. This allowsthe control system to continue sending and receiving information to andfrom the tool assembly regardless of whether the tool assembly iscoupled to the robotic arm thereby allowing seamless transfer of thetool assembly between robotic arms and/or manual use. As described ingreater detail below, electronic communication between variouscomponents of the robotic surgical system can be either wired orwireless for assisting with seamless and continuing communication ofdata and information between at least the tool assembly and the controlsystem.

In some embodiments, the tool assembly is modular and includes more thanone modular part that can be either removed or interchanged. Suchmodularity can allow for easy replacement of one or more modular partsof the tool assembly, as well as allow for various configurations of thetool assembly. For example, a modular tool assembly can include an endeffector that can be either removed or replaced, such as for switchingtooling associated with the end effectors to assist with different partsof a surgical procedure. While removing, replacing, adding, and/orinterchanging modular parts of one or more tool assemblies can provideadvantages, such as allowing for a variety of tool assemblyconfigurations, calibrating the modular tool assembly each time amodular part is removed, replaced, added, and/or interchanged can betime consuming. As such, in order to reduce procedure time and improveefficiency, the surgical robotic system described herein includesanother embodiment of a wireless communication system that allows amodular part of a tool assembly to communicate with the control system,robotic arm, and/or other modular parts of the tool assembly (or anothertool assembly). This allows configuration information to be communicatedbetween the control system, robotic arm, and/or modular parts of toolassemblies thereby reducing or eliminating time required to re-configurea tool assembly after removing, replacing, adding, and/or interchangingone or more modular parts

In some embodiments, a robotic surgical arm can include a tool assemblycontaining motors to drive an end effector. The tool assembly cangenerate ultrasonic and/or radio frequency energy to apply to tissuedisposed between the jaws of the end effector. The tool assembly caninclude modular components such as a modular shaft that can include anultrasonic transducer, nonvolatile memory, wireless interface, and/or apower source. The non-volatile memory can allow the modular shaft to beattached to one robotic arm and moved to another robotic arm withoutrestarting or recalibrating the ultrasonic driver. The power source canallow the modular shaft to communicate wirelessly with the robotic armwhile attached to a robotic arm, and after the modular shaft is detachedfrom the robotic arm. The modular shaft can also be moved from a roboticarm to a handle manually controlled by a surgeon and back again to therobotic arm.

In some embodiments, a tool assembly can be “hot-swapped” or moved fromone robotic arm to another while remaining powered. The tool assemblycan include sensors to determine a location or movement of the toolassembly. A power source can allow the tool assembly to communicatewirelessly with the robotic while attached to a robotic arm and afterthe tool assembly is detached from the robotic arm. The tool assemblycan also be moved from a robotic arm to a handle manually controlled bya surgeon and back again to the robotic arm.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a surgical roboticsystem 300 that includes a patient-side portion 310 that is positionedadjacent to a patient 312, and a user-side portion 311 that is located adistance from the patient, either in the same room and/or in a remotelocation. The patient-side portion 310 generally includes one or morerobotic arms 320 and one or more tool assemblies 330 that are configuredto releasably couple to a robotic arm 320. The user-side portion 311generally includes a vision system 313 for viewing the patient 312and/or surgical site, and a control system 315 for controlling themovement of the robotic arms 320 and each tool assembly 330 during asurgical procedure.

The control system 315 can have a variety of configurations and it canbe located adjacent to the patient, e.g., in the operating room, remotefrom the patient, e.g., in a separate control room, or it can bedistributed at two or more locations. For example, a dedicated systemcontrol console can be located in the operating room, and a separateconsole can be located in a remote location. The control system 315 caninclude components that enable a user to view a surgical site of apatient 312 being operated on by the patient-side portion 310 and/or tocontrol one or more parts of the patient-side portion 310 (e.g., toperform a surgical procedure at the surgical site 312). In someembodiments, the control system 315 can also include one or moremanually-operated input devices, such as a joystick, exoskeletal glove,a powered and gravity-compensated manipulator, or the like. These inputdevices can control teleoperated motors which, in turn, control themovement of the surgical system, including the robotic arms 320 and toolassemblies 330.

The patient-side portion can also have a variety of configurations. Asdepicted in FIG. 1, the patient-side portion 310 can couple to anoperating table 314. However, in some embodiments, the patient-sideportion 310 can be mounted to a wall, to the ceiling, to the floor, orto other operating room equipment. Further, while the patient-sideportion 310 is shown as including two robotic arms 320, more or fewerrobotic arms 320 can be included. Furthermore, the patient-side portion310 can include separate robotic arms 320 mounted in various positions,such as relative to the surgical table 314. Alternatively, thepatient-side portion 310 can include a single assembly that includes oneor more robotic arms 320 extending therefrom.

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of a robotic arm 1120 and a toolassembly 1130 releasably coupled to the robotic arm 1120. The roboticarm 1120 can support and move the associated tool assembly 1130 alongone or more mechanical degrees of freedom (e.g., all six Cartesiandegrees of freedom, five or fewer Cartesian degrees of freedom, etc.).

The robotic arm 1120 can include a tool driver 1140 at a distal end ofthe robotic arm 1120, which can assist with controlling featuresassociated with the tool assembly 1130. The robotic arm 1120 can alsoinclude a. movable tool guide 1132 that can retract and extend relativeto the driver 1140. A shaft of the tool assembly 1130 can extendparallel to a threaded shaft of the movable tool guide 1132 and canextend through a distal end feature 1133 (e.g., a ring) of the movabletool guide 1130 and into a patient.

In order to provide a sterile operation area while using the surgicalsystem, a barrier (not shown) can be placed between the actuatingportion of the surgical system (e.g., the robotic arm 1120) and thesurgical instruments (e.g., the tool assembly 1130) in the sterilesurgical field. A sterile component, such as an instrument sterileadapter (ISA), can also be placed at the connecting interface betweenthe tool assembly 1130 and the robotic arm 1120. The placement of an ISAbetween the tool assembly 1130 and the robotic arm 1120 can ensure asterile coupling point for the tool assembly 1130 and the robotic arm1120. This permits removal of tool assemblies 1130 from the robotic arm1120 to exchange with other tool assemblies 1130 during the course of asurgery without compromising the sterile surgical field.

FIG. 3 illustrates the tool driver 1140 in more detail. As shown, thetool driver 1140 includes one or more motors, e.g., seven motors M1-M7are shown, that control a variety of movements and actions associatedwith the tool assembly 1130, as will be described in greater detailbelow. The driver 1140 can also include one or more lead screws (e.g.,three lead screws L1, L2, and L3 are shown) that can be individuallyrotated by a motor and, as a result of the rotation of the lead screw,cause linear and/or rotational movement of at least one actuator (e.g.,see, for example, actuators A1 and A2 shown in FIG. 3). Movement of eachactuator controls the movement of driving members (e.g., gears, cables)located in the tool assembly 1130 for controlling one or more actionsand movements that can be performed by the tooling assembly 1130, suchas for assisting with performing a surgical operation. The actuatorsextend from a top end of the driver 1140 for coupling to the drivingmembers of the tool assembly 1130 mounted on top of the tool driver1140.

The tool assembly 1130 can be loaded from a top side of the driver 1140with the shaft of the tool assembly 1130 being positioned in ashaft-receiving channel 1144 formed along the side of the driver 1140.The shaft-receiving. channel 1144 allows the shaft, which extends alonga central axis of the tool assembly 1130, to extend along a central axisof the driver 1140 when the tool assembly 1130 is coupled to the driver1140. In other embodiments, the shaft can extend through on opening inthe tool driver 1140, or the two components can mate in various otherconfigurations.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tool assembly 1130 includes a housing orpuck 1135 coupled to a proximal end of a shaft 1136 and an end effector1138 coupled to a distal end of the shaft 1136. The puck 1135 caninclude coupling features that assist with releasably coupling the puck1135 to the tool driver 1140 of the robotic arm 1120. The puck 1135 caninclude driving members (e.g., gears, cables, and/or drivers) that canbe directly or indirectly actuated by the one or more motors M1-M5, aswill be described in greater detail below. The driving members in thepuck 1135 can control the operation of various features associated withthe end effector 1138 (e.g., clamping, firing, rotation, articulation,etc.), as well as control the movement of the shaft 1136 e.g., rotationand/or articulation of the shaft).

The shaft 1136 can be releasably coupled to the puck 1135 such that theshaft 1136 can be interchangeable with other shafts. This can allow asingle puck 1135 to be adaptable to various shafts 1136 having differentend effectors 1138. The shaft 1136 can include actuators and connectorsthat extend along the shaft and assist with controlling the actuationand/or movement of the end effector 1138 and/or shaft 1136. The shaft1136 can also include one or more joints or wrists 1137 that allow apart of the shaft 1136 or the end effector 1138 to rotate and/orarticulate relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 1136. This canallow for fine movements and various angulation of the end effector 1138relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 1136. The end effector1138 can include any of a variety of surgical tools, such as a stapler,a clip applier, forceps, a needle driver, a cautery device, a cuttingtool, a pair of jaws, an imaging device (e.g., an endoscope orultrasound probe), or a combined device that includes a combination oftwo or more various tools.

FIG. 4 illustrates a part of a puck actuation assembly contained withinthe puck 1135. As shown in FIG. 4, the puck 1135 includes at least onedriving member (e.g., four driving members D1, D2, D3 and D4 are shown)that can each become engaged with an actuator of the driver 1140 suchthat actuation of an actuator causes actuation of a driving memberthereby controlling the operation of various features associated withthe shaft 1136 and/or end effector 1138. Each driving member D1-D4 canbe coupled to a proximal end of a shaft or cable (e.g., four cables C1,C2, C3, and C4 are shown). Each cable can extend from a driving memberand couple to a feature associated with either the shaft 1136 or the endeffector 1138 thereby controlling a function of such feature.

FIG. 5 illustrates the puck 1135 coupled to the driver 1140 with theactuators extending from the driver 1140 into the puck 1135 and engagingthe driving members. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, motor M1 can causelead screw L1 to rotate thereby causing actuator A1, which is threadablycoupled to lead screw L1, to linearly advance in the proximal direction(towards and into the puck 1135). Actuator A1 can include an extensionthreadably coupled to the lead screw L1. The extension can be coupled toor integrated with a partial cylindrical shaft that extends along thelongitudinal axis of the puck 1135 and the driver 1140. The partialcylindrical shaft of the actuator A1 can engage with driving member Disuch that when the actuator A1 is linearly advanced, the driving memberD1 is caused to linearly advance in the same direction. Driving memberD1 can be coupled to cable C1 such that when driving member D1 isadvanced in the proximal direction, cable C1 is pulled in the proximaldirection. Cable C1 extends along the shaft of the tool assembly 1130and is operatively coupled to a part of the end effector 1138 therebycontrolling a function of the end effector 1138 (e.g., opening andclosing of jaws, deployment of a staple, etc.) when the cable is C1translated in either the proximal or distal direction.

In some implementations, for example, four motors (e.g., M1-M4) can eachindividually control movement of a respective lead screw e.g., L1-L4)thereby individually linearly translating a respective actuator (e.g.,A1-A4) coupled thereto. Although the actuators are described as beinglinearly translated, the actuators can be linearly translated and/orrotationally moved as a result of actuation of a respective motor.Additional motors (e.g., motors M5 and M6) can be included in the driver1140 for actuating various other aspects of the tool assembly 1130. Forexample, motor M5 can cause a first driver shaft 1141 to rotate, whichis operatively coupled to a first puck shaft 1147 having a first puckgear 1143 coupled to a distal end of the first puck shaft 1147. Rotationof the first driver shaft 1141 thereby causes the first puck shaft 1147and first puck gear 1143 to rotate. The first puck gear 1143 is engagedwith a first shaft rotation gear 1148 that is caused to rotate as aresult of the first puck gear 1143 rotating. The first shaft rotationgear 1148 is operatively coupled to the shaft 1136 of the tool assembly1130 and can thereby cause rotation of the shaft 1136 and/or endeffector 1138. Motor M6 can cause a second driver shaft to rotate, whichis operatively coupled to a second puck gear 1153. The second puck gear1153 is engaged with a second shaft rotation gear 1154 that is caused torotate as a result of the second puck gear 1153 rotating. The secondshaft rotation gear 1154 is also operatively coupled to the shaft 1136and, upon rotation, provides additional torque through the shaft 1136and for various features associated with the end effector 1138,Actuation of motor M7 can cause shaft gears 1161 to rotate, therebycausing the threaded shaft of the movable tool guide 1132 to linearlytranslate.

As discussed above, the robotic surgical system can include a wirelesscommunication system that allows one or more parts of the roboticsurgical system to communicate wirelessly with another part of therobotic surgical system. For example, a tool assembly can include afirst wireless feature that can communicate (e.g., send and/or receiveinformation) wirelessly to a second wireless feature associated with thecontrol system, such as the control system 315 of FIG. 1. The first andsecond wireless features can communicate regardless of whether the toolassembly is coupled to the robotic arm. As such, information related tothe tool assembly, including the end effector, can be communicated tothe control system before, during, and/or after the tool assembly isuncoupled and moved away from the robotic arm, such as for coupling to adifferent robotic arm or for manual use. The information related to thetool assembly can be used under such new circumstances thereby reducingor eliminating the need to re-configure the tool assembly, as well asfor keeping track of the location of the tool assembly (e.g., using oneor more sensors associated with the tool assembly), as will be describedin greater detail below.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a robotic surgical system 600similar to robotic surgical system 300 in FIG. 1. The robotic surgicalsystem 600 can include a wireless interface 12 at tool assembly 10 toallow for communication between tool assembly 10 and wireless interface32 at control system 30. The robotic surgical system 600 includesrobotic arm 20 configured to releasably couple to tool assembly 10. Insome embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 6, more than one robotic arm 20and/or more than one tool assembly 10 may be included in roboticsurgical system 600.

When robotic arm 20 is coupled to the tool assembly 10, the toolassembly 10 is both electrically and mechanically coupled to the roboticarm 20. In some embodiments, the tool assembly 10 is powered by therobotic arm 20 via electrical connectors associated with the toolassembly 10 and robotic arm 20, which are mated when the tool assembly10 is coupled to robotic arm 20. The tool assembly 10 can be uncoupledfrom robotic arm 20 thereby mechanically and electrically disconnectingthe tool assembly 10 from the robotic arm. Such electrical disconnectionincludes disconnecting the electrical connectors supplying power (andpossibly control and status information) from the robotic arm 20 to thetool assembly 10. Upon disconnection of the electrical connectors, thetool assembly 10 can be powered by a battery 13, as described below.While powered by battery 13, tool assembly 10 does not shut down and canbe used manually, such as by a surgeon after being coupled to a handle(not shown). Tool assembly 10 can also be re-coupled to either the samerobotic arm 20 or coupled to a different robotic arm 20.

In some embodiments, the wireless tool interface of the tool assembly 10includes a transducer, such as an ultrasonic transducer that producesultrasonic energy, or a radio frequency generator that produces radiofrequency energy. Such energy can be applied to a patient 312 by thetool assembly 10 for assisting with a surgical procedure (e.g., cuttingtissue). Tool assembly 10 can include a generator that generates signalsto drive the ultrasonic transducer and/or a generator that generatesradio frequency energy. Calibration data may be needed to drive theultrasonic transducer with one or more predefined amplitudes and/orfrequencies. See FIGS. 8 and 9 for further description of an ultrasonicgenerator, an ultrasonic transducer, and radio frequency end effector.

As shown in FIG. 6, the wireless interface 12 at tool assembly 10 isconfigured to communicate with wireless interface 32 at control system30. Wireless interfaces 12 and/or 32 can comply with Bluetooth,Bluetooth low-energy, WiFi, Zigbee, or any other wireless standard, orany proprietary wireless interface. A person skilled in the art willappreciate that communication protocols in addition to the wirelesscommunication techniques noted above can also be used. Examples includeacoustic communication (such as ultrasonic communication), optical datalinks, and magnetic data transfer. Tool assembly 10 can send statusinformation to control system 30. For example, the status informationcan include data about the usage of the tool assembly, such as a numberof uses or a number of cuts made by an end effector that is included inthe tool assembly, a quantity of time that the tool assembly has beenused, and a lifetime or charge status of a battery included in toolassembly 10A. other status information can also include fault detectionrecording and tool position when a tool is removed from a robotic arm.In some embodiments, calibration information used by an energy generatorto drive a transducer in tool assembly 10A is sent or received via thewireless interface. See also the description below of FIGS. 8-11 foradditional description of the calibration information.

In some embodiments, the tool assembly 10 includes one or more sensorsfor determining either a position or movement of the tool assembly 10.For example, the tool assembly 10 can include one or more inertialsensors, such as an accelerometer (single or multi-axis), a gyroscope,and/or one or more relative position sensors such as a magnetic sensor(single, or multi-dimensional). Data from one or more of such sensorscan be processed at tool assembly 10A or sent via the wireless interfaceto control system 30 for processing. Processing the sensor data candetermine the position of the tool assembly. For example, processing thesensor data can determine that tool assembly 10A is located at aposition that is at the end of robotic arm 20B. From a change inlocation, control system 30 determines that the tool assembly 10A hasbeen moved to robotic arm 20B. Alternatively (or in addition), thesensor data can be used to determine that the tool assembly 10 has moveda predetermined distance in a predetermined direction. For example,processing the sensor data can determine that the tool assembly 10 hasmoved approximately 32.1 inches in a direction pointing from the end ofthe robotic arm 20. From the distance and direction, control system 30can determine that the tool assembly 10 has been moved to robotic arm20. In some example embodiments, when a tool assembly 10A is removedfrom one robotic arm 20, and attached to another robotic arm 20, thetool assembly 10 has been “handed-off” to the other robotic arm 20.

In some embodiments, the robotic arm 20 can include a transfer arm thatis configured to provide a second attachment point to which toolassembly 10 can releasably couple. The tool assembly 10 can include oneor more attachment points to the transfer arm. The transfer arm canlatch on to the tool assembly while the robotic arm is still attached tothe tool assembly 10. The robotic arm 20 can uncouple from the toolassembly 10 and the transfer arm can remain connected to the toolassembly 10. The same or a different robotic arm 20 can couple to thetool assembly 10 and the transfer arm can thereafter uncouple from thetool assembly 10.

In some embodiments, a first robotic arm can be coupled to the toolassembly at a first attachment point of the tool assembly and a secondrobotic arm can be coupled to a second attachment point of the toolassembly. The first robotic arm can then uncouple from the tool assemblythereby leaving the second robotic arm coupled to the tool assembly.Some embodiments can include interchangeable shafts in the transfer arm.Exemplary robotic surgical systems are described in U.S. Pat. No.8,931,682, entitled “Robotically-Controlled Shaft based Rotary DriveSystems for Surgical Instruments” and U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2014/005718, entitled “Multi-Functional Powered SurgicalDevice with External Dissection Features,” both of which areincorporated herein by reference in the entirety.

In some embodiments, tool assembly 10 can include a battery 13. Thebattery 13 can supply power to the tool assembly 10 after the toolassembly 10 has been removed from the robotic arm. The battery 13 canpower a processor, memory, sensors, and/or the wireless interfaceincluded in the tool assembly 10. In some embodiments, the battery 13can enable an endocutter to be operated when unattached from a roboticarm 20. For example, the tool assembly 10 may include location and/ormovement sensors. When tool assembly 10 is detached from robotic arm 20battery 13 powers the sensors 14, the wireless interface 13, and aprocessor and memory 15. As the tool assembly 10A is moved, data fromthe location/movement sensors 14 can be processed at tool assembly 10Ato determine location or movement of the tool assembly and the locationor movement is sent to control system 30, or the tool assembly 10A.Alternatively (or in addition), the location/movement sensor data or theprocessed data can be sent to control system 30 for control system 30 toprocess and determine location/movement of the tool assembly 10A. Insome embodiments, an endocutter tool assembly can be operated by asurgeon while detached from the robotic arm. The endocutter toolassembly can be attached to the same or a different robotic arm.

FIG. 7 illustrates tool assemblies 10A and 10B that can each include thefeatures of tool assembly 10 in FIG. 6 including wireless interface 12,battery 13, sensors 14, and/or processor and memory 15. FIG. 7illustrates decoupling a tool assembly 10A from a first robotic arm 20Band attaching the tool assembly 10A to a second robotic arm 20A, or thefirst robotic arm 20B at a later time. Before, during, and/or after thetool assembly 10A is removed from a first robotic arm 20B and attachedto a second robotic arm 20A, the tool assembly 10A maintains a wirelessconnection to the control system 30. After removal from the firstrobotic arm 20B, the tool assembly 10A can be powered by the battery 13included in the tool assembly 10 as described in FIG. 6 and FIGS. 8-12.As the tool assembly 10A is moved in position, the above-describedlocation/movement sensors 14 can generate data that can be processed byprocessor and memory 15 at the tool assembly 10A or processed at controlsystem 30 to periodically or intermittently determine the location ofthe tool assembly. A surgeon can operate tool assembly 10A while thetool assembly 10A is detached from robotic arms 20B and 20A. Whiledetached, the tool assembly 10A can be powered by the battery 13internal to tool assembly 10A or by a battery internal to a handle thatcan be releasably attached to tool assembly 10A as detailed with respectto FIGS. 10 and 11. Tool assembly 10A can maintain wirelesscommunication with control system 30 while attached to a robotic arm 20Band while detached from a robotic arm 20B and used manually by asurgeon. Tool assembly 10A can be attached to a handle as described inFIGS. 10-12 for use by the surgeon.

As shown in FIG. 7, the tool assembly 10A can be attached to robotic arm20B and tool assembly 10B can be attached to robotic arm 20A. Toolassembly 10A can be powered by connectors in tool assembly 10A androbotic arm 20B that are mated when the tool assembly is attached. Toolassembly 10B can be powered by connectors in tool assembly 10B androbotic arm 20A that are mated when the tool assembly is attached. Inthe example of FIG. 6, tool assembly 10A is removed from robotic arm20B. After removal from robotic arm 20B, tool assembly 10A remainspowered by the battery included in tool assembly 10A. As the toolassembly 10A is being removed and as the tool assembly 10A is moved, theabove-described location/movement sensors can generate data that can beprocessed at the tool assembly or control system to periodically orintermittently determine the location of the tool assembly. Thegenerated data and/or processed location/movement can be wirelesslytransmitted to control system 30. Tool assembly 10A can be removed fromrobotic arm 20B and attached to robotic arm 20A. In a similar way, toolassembly 10B can removed from robotic arm 20A, dataprocessed/transmitted, and 10B is attached to robotic arm 20B.

In some embodiments, a robotic surgical arm can include a modularattachment containing motors to drive an end effector. The modularattachment may include an ultrasonic generator to drive an ultrasonictransducer to produce ultrasonic energy to apply between the jaws of theend effector. The modular attachment may also include a radio frequencygenerator to produce radio frequency energy to apply between the jaws ofthe end effector. In some embodiments, the jaws of the end effector areor include electrodes that conduct the radio frequency energy to patienttissue disposed therebetween. The modular attachment can include modularcomponents such as a modular shaft that can include the ultrasonictransducer, nonvolatile memory, and/or a power source. The non-volatilememory can allow the modular shaft to be attached to one robotic arm andthen moved to another robotic arm without restarting or recalibratingthe ultrasonic transducer. The power source can allow the modular shaftto communicate wirelessly with the robotic while attached to a roboticarm and after the modular shaft is detached from the robotic arm. Themodular shaft can also be moved from a robotic arm to a handle manuallycontrolled by a surgeon and back again to the robotic arm.

FIG. 8A illustrates an embodiment of a puck assembly 110 that can beincluded in a tool assembly, such as tool assembly 10A in FIG. 7 and/ortool assembly 10 in FIG. 6. FIG. 8B illustrates an end-view of puckassembly 110. Puck assembly 110 is a removable and replaceable modulethat can be coupled to a robotic arm 130. For example, a puck assembly110 with ultrasonic transducer 122 can be removed and replaced with apuck with a radio frequency capability (not shown in FIG. 8A) and anultrasonic transducer. Ultrasonic transducer 122 can be disposable. Forexample, ultrasonic transducer 122 can be used once, or used in oneprocedure, or on one patient, and then disposed and not used again. Puckassembly 110 can include a tool driver 120, circuit boards 114 and/or116, battery 118, and motor 117 for shaft rotation, motor 119 for jawclamping, and/or 121. Circuit boards 114 and/or 116 can produceelectrical signals to drive an ultrasonic transducer, or to produceradio frequency energy that can assist in cauterizing blood vessels andtissue. Motors 117, 119, and/or 121 can control opening and closing ofthe end effector, rotation of the end effector, firing, articulation,etc. Puck assembly 110 can include a liquid crystal display (LCD) 112 toprovide status and control information at a robotic arm.

Puck assembly 110 can include a wired or wireless interface tocommunicate with a robotic control system. For example a wirelessinterface can receive commands from a user side portion of a roboticsystem and/or send status information to the user side portion of therobotic system (see FIG. 1). Puck assembly 110 can include a processorand memory, motors, LCD display, ultrasonic and/or radio frequencyenergy generator, and a wireless interface to communicate with the userside portion. Wiring 102 from robotic arm 130 can carry power to puckassembly 110. In some embodiments, wiring 102 can also carry status andcontrol information between puck 110 and a control system at the userside of the robotic system. In some embodiments, power is suppliedthrough wiring 102 and status and control information is exchanged via awireless interface. The wireless interface may comply with any standardsuch as Bluetooth, Bluetooth low-energy, WiFi, Zigbee, or any otherstandard, or any proprietary wireless interface, as discussed above.

Puck assembly 110 can include a non-volatile memory on one or more ofcircuit boards 114 and/or 116. The non-volatile memory can store statusand configuration information for puck 110 that can include calibrationdata for an ultrasonic generator. For example, calibration informationcan be stored in non-volatile memory related to causing the particularultrasonic transducer installed in tool driver 120 to produce one ormore predefined ultrasonic frequencies at one or more predefinedamplitudes. Ultrasonic transducers of the same type that are paired witha waveguide can behave differently to stimulus applied by an ultrasonicgenerator. These differences result in calibration information that isused to produce the predefined ultrasonic frequencies at the predefinedamplitudes. Configuration information stored in memory can include usageinformation related to tool driver 120 and/or puck 110.

Puck 110 can include battery 118. In some embodiments, puck 110 can bemoved from one arm of a robotic system to another arm of the roboticsystem without powering down puck 110. Battery 118 can provide power tocircuit boards 114 and/or 116. In some embodiments, battery 118 canpower circuit boards 116, 118 but can or can not power the motors,ultrasonic generator, or radio frequency generator. For example, whenpuck 110 is disconnected from power supplied by wire via 102, battery118 can provide power to the processor, memory, and a wirelessinterface. Wireless communications can continue while the puck is beingmoved and until power is connected again by wire at the other roboticarm.

FIG. 9 illustrates a tool driver 210 releasably coupled to modular shaft250. Tool driver 210 and modular shaft 250 may be included in puckassembly 110 of FIGS. 8A and 8B and/or tool assembly 10A of FIG. 7and/or tool assembly 10 of FIG. 6. Modular shaft 250 can be attached totool driver 210, and can be detached from tool driver 210. Modular shaft250 can be detached from one tool driver 210 and attached to anothertool driver 210. Tool driver 210 may include one or more motors 238powering rotating drivers 230 (labeled 1, 2, and 3). Rotating drivers230 can detachably interface with modular shaft 250. Tool driver 210 caninclude connector 228A that mates with connector 228B on modular shaft250. When modular shaft 250 is attached to tool driver 210, rotatingdrivers 230 can cause rotation of spur gears 212 (labeled a, b, and c)inside modular shaft 250. Attaching modular shaft 250 to tool driver 210causes an electrical connection to be made between connectors 228A and228B that can supply power to modular shaft 250 and can and provide awired interface for communication between the modular shaft 250 and tooldriver 210.

Modular shaft 250 can include an ultrasonic transducer such as lateralultrasonic transducer 214. Lateral ultrasonic transducer 214 can becoupled to waveguide 236 to guide ultrasonic energy to clamp jaw 218.Modular shaft 250 can include worm gear 220 to open and close clamp jaw218. Modular shaft can also include spur gears 224 and/or 212. Modularshaft 250 can include processor 222 and can include memory and/ornonvolatile memory. The memory and/or nonvolatile memory can storeconfiguration and/or calibration information. For example, thenon-volatile memory can store calibration information related to theultrasonic transducer 214, usage information related to ultrasonictransducer 214 (number of times used, total time used, manufacture dateetc.), usage information related to modular shaft 250, clamp jaw 218, ortool driver 210, or battery charge status or battery lifetimeinformation for battery 232. An ultrasonic generator 252B can beincluded in modular shaft 250 or can be included in tool driver 210 togenerate stimulus to cause the ultrasonic transducer 214 to produce apredefined ultrasonic output. Modular shaft 250 can include battery 232that can power one or more portions of modular shaft 250 when modularshaft 250 is disconnected from tool driver 210 as described above.Modular shaft 250 can include spur gear 216 to rotate an outer shaft anda clamp jaw 218. Modular shaft 250 can include worm gear assembly 220 toopen and close clamp jaw 218. Modular shaft 250 can include spur gearassembly 224 to rotate inner housing 254.

Electrical power, control, and/or status information can flow throughconnectors 228A and 228B. In some embodiments, control and statusinformation can be exchanged between modular shaft 250 and tool driver210 via a wireless interface such as the wireless interfaces describedabove. In some embodiments, an ultrasonic generator 252A can be includedin tool driver 210 and calibration and/or configuration information forthe lateral ultrasonic transducer 214 can be stored in memory ornon-volatile memory at modular shaft 250. When modular shaft 250 isremoved from a tool driver, the ultrasonic generator 252A in tool driver210 is detached from modular shaft 250. When modular shaft 250 isconnected to another tool driver on another robotic arm, for example,the configuration and calibration information needed to drive lateralultrasonic transducer 214 can be retrieved by the ultrasonic driver inthe newly attached tool driver. The calibration and/or configurationinformation can be retrieved via the wireless interface described aboveor via electrical connection through connectors 228A and 228B.

FIGS. 10A and 10B depict an example of a modular shaft that is swappablebetween a robotic arm at 410 (FIG. 10A) and a handle at 440 (FIG. 10B).Some aspects of modular shaft 416 are described with respect to FIGS. 8and 9. At 410, modular shaft 416 is attached to tool driver 412, whichis attached to robotic arm 320. An ultrasonic driver (also referred toherein as an ultrasonic generator) can be included in tool driver 412. Aradio frequency generator can be included in tool driver 412,alternatively or in addition to the ultrasonic generator. Tool driver412 can include one or more motors. Modular shaft 416 can include one ormore of a non-volatile memory, processor, and/or battery. In someembodiments, the non-volatile memory can store calibration andconfiguration information as described above related to modular shaft416.

Modular shaft 416 can be detached from tool driver 412 and attached tohandle 442, as depicted at 440. Modular shaft 416 can also be detachedfrom handle 442 and attached to tool driver 412, as depicted at 410.Handle 442 can include ultrasonic generator 448, radio frequencygenerator 450, motors 452, and/or LCD screen 446. Handle 442 can includea battery to power handle 442, or handle 442 can include a cable thatsupplies power. Handle 442 can include a wired or wireless status andcontrol interface. Handle 442 can include controls 458 to open/closeclamp jaw 462, a fire energy control 456 to cause ultrasonic/radiofrequency energy to be applied/removed from clamp jaw 462, and/or shaftrotation control 454. In some embodiments, when modular shaft 416 isremoved from robot tool 410 and attached to handle 442, the calibrationand/or configuration information stored in the non-volatile memory inmodular shaft 416 can be transferred to handle 442. The transfer ofconfiguration and calibration information can allow the modular shaft416 to be moved to the handle more quickly without requiringinitialization and/or recalibration of the ultrasonic transducer pairedwith a new ultrasonic generator in the handle. The modular shaft can besimilarly moved from the handle to the robotic arm.

FIGS. 11A and 11B depict another example of a modular tool that isswappable between a robotic arm and a handle. A hand operated tool at500 in FIG. 11A includes tool driver 510, end effector 512, motors 520,and handle 530. Handle 530 can include a battery, a processor, anultrasonic generator and/or a radio frequency generator. Tool driver 510can include an ultrasonic transducer and/or radio frequency generator.Tool driver 510 can include a non-volatile memory that can storeconfiguration and calibration data related to tool driver 510, thegenerator(s) in the tool driver, and/or end effector 512. Tool driver510 and end effector 512 can be detached from handle 530 and attached torobotic arm 560 without requiring recalibration or restart of tooldriver 510 as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-6. At 550 in FIG.11B, moving the tool driver and end effector 512 from handle 530 torobotic arm 560, or moving the tool driver 510 and end effector 512 fromrobotic arm 560 to handle 530 can be performed without recalibration orrestart of the tool driver 510. Moving the tool driver 510 withoutrestart or recalibration can be referred to as “hot-swapping.” Awireless interface included in tool driver 510 and handle 530 can allowcalibration and configuration information to be shared between the tooldriver 510 and handle 530. The wireless interface included in tooldriver 510 and robotic arm 560 can allow calibration and configurationinformation to be shared between the tool driver 510 and robotic arm560. Robotic arm 560 can include contacts 562 to supply power to tooldriver 510. In some embodiments, tool driver 510, end effector 512, andhandle 530 can be attached to robotic arm 560 without removal of thehandle 530. In some embodiments, handle 440 in FIG. 10 can be handle530.

FIG. 12A illustrates a surgical tool assembly 650 attached to roboticarm 640. The tool assembly 650 includes a tool driver 610, an adapter620, and a modular shaft 625. In the illustrated embodiment, puck 615 isincluded as part of robotic arm 640. Puck 615 can include sterilebarrier 617. Tool driver 610 can include separable pieces, includingadapter 620 and modular shaft 625, and end effector 642.

FIG. 12B illustrates an expanded view of the tool assembly 650 shown inFIG. 12A. Modular shaft 625 can include an end effector 642, gears 643for actuating/rotating the end effector, and a non-volatile memory 644.The non-volatile memory 644 can store information related to the statusof the modular shaft 625 such as number of uses, times and dates of whenthe shaft was used, and/or location information relating to where theshaft was used. For example, location information can include one ormore of: on which robotic arm the shaft was used, which surgical robotidentified by a serial number, as well as the known physical location ofthe surgical robot. In some embodiments, the information stored innon-volatile memory can be transferred via wired electrical connectionsthat are connected when modular shaft 625 is attached to adapter 620.The status information of modular shaft 625 can be transferred to tooldriver 610 when adapter 620 (with modular shaft attached to the adapter)is attached to tool assembly 650. In some embodiment, modular shaft 625and/or adapter 620 can include a wireless interface 645 and a battery646 that can provide the status information to adapter 620 and/or tooldriver 610 when modular shaft 625 is attached or detached from adapter620.

FIG. 12C illustrates modular shaft 625 removed from the adapter 620 inFIGS. 12A and 12B, and attached to handle 630. Handle 630 can include aconnector 647 to transfer status information from the non-volatilememory 644 in the modular shaft to the handle 630. In some embodiments,handle 630 can include a wireless interface 645 to receive statusinformation from modular shaft 625 wirelessly.

FIG. 13A depicts examples of modular transducers and modular shafts thatcan be attached to a tool assembly 700 and FIG. 13B depicts examples ofmodular tool drivers that can be attached to a tool assembly 700. Toolassembly 700 can include a transducer selected from a set oftransducers, a tool driver selected from a set of tool drivers, and ashaft/nozzle selected from a set of shafts/nozzles. Examples oftransducers include ultrasonic transducers 701, 702, combinationtransducer 703 including an ultrasonic transducer and a radio frequencyend effector combination 704, and radio frequency end effector 705.Examples of tool drivers include ultrasonic and/or radio frequency tooldriver 711 and stapling tool driver 712. Examples of shafts/nozzlesinclude ultrasonic shaft 721, combination shaft 722 including ultrasonicshaft and radio frequency shaft, radio frequency shaft 723 withopposable jaw, radio frequency shaft 724 including an I-blade, linearstapler 725, shaft coupler 726, and circular stapler 727.

FIG. 13B depicts examples of modular tool drivers. A modular shaftadapter 740 can provide for the attachment to tool assembly 700 ofhand-held tool drivers including clip applier 731 and stitching endeffectors 732, 733.

Many benefits may be realized from the embodiments disclosed herein. Forexample, wireless communications between a tool driver (or toolassembly) and a control system reduces the number of wires required tointerface between a robotic arm and tool driver which improves thereliability the wired interface and improves the reliability ofcommunications between the tool driver and control system. Moreover, atool driver with wireless communications and a battery for power allowsfor communications when the tool driver is detached from a robotic armwhen being moved from one robotic arm to another or being used manuallyby a surgeon. Communications between modular components allows forconfiguration, usage, and calibration information to be exchangedbetween the modular components which provides for better automation ofthe operating room and improved data integrity over data recordedmanually by surgical staff. Tool drivers with modular adapters improvethe flexibility and number of uses a surgical robot may be used which inturn reduces the cost of robotic assisted surgeries.

There are a number of ways in which to describe the movement of asurgical system, as well as its position and orientation in space. Oneparticularly convenient convention is to characterize a system in termsof its degrees of freedom. The degrees of freedom of a system are thenumber of independent variables that uniquely identify its pose orconfiguration. The set of Cartesian degrees of freedom is usuallyrepresented by the three translational or position variables, e.g.,surge, heave, and sway, and by the three rotational or orientationvariables, e.g., Euler angles or roll, pitch, and yaw, that describe theposition and orientation of a component of a surgical system withrespect to a given reference Cartesian frame. As used herein, and asillustrated in FIG. 14, the term “surge” refers to forward and backwardmovement, the term “heave” refers to movement up and down, and the term“sway” refers to movement left and right. With regard to the rotationalterms, “roll” refers to tilting side to side, “pitch” refers to tiltingforward and backward, and “yaw” refers to turning left and right. In amore general sense, each of the translation terms refers to movementalong one of the three axes in a Cartesian frame, and each of therotational terms refers to rotation about one of the three axes in aCartesian frame.

Although the number of degrees of freedom is at most six, a condition inwhich all the translational and orientation variables are independentlycontrolled, the number of joint degrees of freedom is generally theresult of design choices that involve considerations of the complexityof the mechanism and the task specifications. For non-redundantkinematic chains, the number of independently controlled joints is equalto the degree of mobility for an end effector. For redundant kinematicchains, the end effector will have an equal number of degrees of freedomin Cartesian space that will correspond to a combination oftranslational and rotational motions. Accordingly, the number of degreesof freedom can be more than, equal to, or less than six.

With regard to characterizing the position of various components of thesurgical system and the mechanical frame, the terms “forward” and“rearward” may be used. In general, the term “forward” refers to an endof the surgical system that is closest to the distal end of the inputtool, and when in use in a surgical procedure, to the end disposedwithin a patient's body. The term “rearward” refers to an end of thesurgical system farthest from the distal end of the input tool, and whenin use, generally to the end farther from the patient.

The terminology used herein is not intended to limit the invention. Forexample, spatially relative terms, e.g., “superior,” “inferior,”“beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” “rearward,” “forward,”etc., may be used to describe one element's or feature's relationship toanother element or feature as illustrated in the figures. Thesespatially relative terms are intended to encompass different positionsand orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theposition and orientation shown in the figures. For example, if thedevice in the figures is turned over, elements described as “inferiorto” or “below” other elements or features would then be “superior to” or“above” the other elements or features. Likewise, descriptions ofmovement along and around various axes include various special devicepositions and orientations. As will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art, specification of the presence of stated features, steps,operations, elements, and/or components does not preclude the presenceor addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups described herein. In addition, componentsdescribed as coupled may be directly coupled, or they may be indirectlycoupled via one or more intermediate components.

There are several general aspects that apply to the various descriptionsbelow. For example, at least one surgical end effector is shown anddescribed in various figures. An end effector is the part of a surgicalinstrument or assembly that performs a specific surgical function, e.g.,forceps/graspers, needle drivers, scissors, electrocautery hooks,staplers, clip appliers/removers, suction tools, irrigation tools, etc.Any end effector can be utilized with the surgical systems describedherein. Further, in exemplary embodiments, an end effector can beconfigured to be manipulated by a user input tool. The input tool can beany tool that allows successful manipulation of the end effector,whether it be a tool similar in shape and style to the end effector,such as an input tool of scissors similar to end effector scissors, or atool that is different in shape and style to the end effector, such asan input tool of a glove dissimilar to end effector graspers, and suchas an input tool of a joystick dissimilar to end effector graspers. Insome embodiments, the input tool can be a larger scaled version of theend effector to facilitate ease of use. Such a larger scale input toolcan have finger loops or grips of a size suitable for a user to hold.However, the end effector and the input tool can have any relative size.

A slave tool, e.g., a surgical instrument, of the surgical system can bepositioned inside a patient's body cavity through an access point in atissue surface for minimally invasive surgical procedures. Typically,cannulas such as trocars are used to provide a pathway through a tissuesurface and/or to prevent a surgical instrument or guide tube fromrubbing on patient tissue. Cannulas can be used for both incisions andnatural orifices. Some surgical procedures require insufflation, and thecannula can include one or more seals to prevent excess insufflation gasleakage past the instrument or guide tube. In some embodiments, thecannula can have a housing coupled thereto with two or more sealed portsfor receiving various types of instruments besides the slave assembly.As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, any of thesurgical system components disclosed herein can have a functional sealdisposed thereon, therein, and/or therearound to prevent and/or reduceinsufflation leakage while any portion of the surgical system isdisposed through a surgical access port, such as a cannula. The surgicalsystems can also be used in open surgical procedures. As used herein, asurgical access point is a point at which the slave tool enters a bodycavity through a tissue surface, whether through a cannula in aminimally invasive procedure or through an incision in an openprocedure.

The systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein can be implementedusing one or more computer systems, which may also be referred to hereinas digital data processing systems and programmable systems.

One or more aspects or features of the subject matter described hereincan be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry,specially designed application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) computer hardware, firmware,software, and/or combinations thereof. These various aspects or featurescan include implementation in one or more computer programs that areexecutable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including atleast one programmable processor, which can be special or generalpurpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmitdata and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device,and at least one output device. The programmable system or computersystem may include clients and servers. A client and server aregenerally remote from each other and typically interact through acommunication network. The relationship of client and server arises byvirtue of computer programs running on the respective computers andhaving a client-server relationship to each other.

The computer programs, which can also be referred to as programs,software, software applications, applications, components, or code,include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can beimplemented in a high-level procedural language, an object-orientedprogramming language, a functional programming language, a logicalprogramming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. As usedherein, the term “machine-readable medium” refers to any computerprogram product, apparatus and/or device, such as for example magneticdiscs, optical disks, memory, and Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs),used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmableprocessor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machineinstructions as a machine-readable signal. The term “machine-readablesignal” refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and/ordata to a programmable processor. The machine-readable medium can storesuch machine instructions non-transitorily, such as for example as woulda non-transient solid-state memory or a magnetic hard drive or anyequivalent storage medium. The machine-readable medium can alternativelyor additionally store such machine instructions in a transient manner,such as for example as would a processor cache or other random accessmemory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

To provide for interaction with a user, one or more aspects or featuresof the subject matter described herein can be implemented on a computerhaving a display device, such as for example a cathode ray tube (CRT) ora liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) monitorfor displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointingdevice, e.g., a mouse, a trackball, etc., by which the user may provideinput to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide forinteraction with a user as well. For example, feedback provided to theuser can be any form of sensory feedback, such as for example visualfeedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from theuser may be received in any form, including, but not limited to,acoustic, speech, or tactile input. Other possible input devicesinclude, but are not limited to, touch screens or other touch-sensitivedevices such as single or multi-point resistive or capacitive trackpads,voice recognition hardware and software, optical scanners, opticalpointers, digital image capture devices and associated interpretationsoftware, and the like.

FIG. 15 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a computer system 1300.As shown, the computer system 1300 includes one or more processors 1302which can control the operation of the computer system 1300.“Processors” are also referred to herein as “controllers.” Theprocessor(s) 1302 can include any type of microprocessor or centralprocessing unit (CPU), including programmable general-purpose orspecial-purpose microprocessors and/or any one of a variety ofproprietary or commercially available single or multi-processor systems.The computer system 1300 can also include one or more memories 1304,which can provide temporary storage for code to be executed by theprocessor(s) 1302 or for data acquired from one or more users, storagedevices, and/or databases. The memory 1304 can include read-only memory(ROM), flash memory, one or more varieties of random access memory (RAM)(e.g., static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), or synchronous DRAM(SDRAM)), and/or a combination of memory technologies.

The various elements of the computer system 1300 can be coupled to a bussystem 1312. The illustrated bus system 1312 is an abstraction thatrepresents any one or more separate physical busses, communicationlines/interfaces, and/or multi-drop or point-to-point connections,connected by appropriate bridges, adapters, and/or controllers. Thecomputer system 1300 can also include one or more network interface(s)1306, one or more input/output (IO) interface(s) 1308, and one or morestorage device(s) 110.

The network interface(s) 1306 can enable the computer system 1300 tocommunicate with remote devices, e.g., other computer systems, over anetwork, and can be, for non-limiting example, remote desktop connectioninterfaces, Ethernet adapters, and/or other local area network (LAN)adapters. The IO interface(s) 1308 can include one or more interfacecomponents to connect the computer system 1300 with other electronicequipment. For non-limiting example, the IO interface(s) 1308 caninclude high speed data ports, such as universal serial bus (USB) ports,1394 ports, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. Additionally, the computer system1300 can be accessible to a human user, and thus the IO interface(s)1308 can include displays, speakers, keyboards, pointing devices, and/orvarious other video, audio, or alphanumeric interfaces. The storagedevice(s) 1310 can include any conventional medium for storing data in anon-volatile and/or non-transient manner. The storage device(s) 1310 canthus hold data and/or instructions in a persistent state, i.e., thevalue(s) are retained despite interruption of power to the computersystem 1300. The storage device(s) 1310 can include one or more harddisk drives, flash drives, USB drives, optical drives, various mediacards, diskettes, compact discs, and/or any combination thereof and canbe directly connected to the computer system 1300 or remotely connectedthereto, such as over a network. In an exemplary embodiment, the storagedevice(s) can include a tangible or non-transitory computer readablemedium configured to store data, e.g., a hard disk drive, a flash drive,a USB drive, an optical drive, a media card, a diskette, a compact disc,etc.

The elements illustrated in FIG. 15 can be some or all of the elementsof a single physical machine. In addition, not all of the illustratedelements need to be located on or in the same physical machine.Exemplary computer systems include conventional desktop computers,workstations, minicomputers, laptop computers, tablet computers,personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, and the like.

The computer system 1300 can include a web browser for retrieving webpages or other markup language streams, presenting those pages and/orstreams (visually, aurally, or otherwise), executing scripts, controlsand other code on those pages/streams, accepting user input with respectto those pages/streams (e.g., for purposes of completing input fields),issuing HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests with respect tothose pages/streams or otherwise (e.g., for submitting to a serverinformation from the completed input fields), and so forth. The webpages or other markup language can be in HyperText Markup Language(HTML) or other conventional forms, including embedded Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML), scripts, controls, and so forth. The computer system1300 can also include a web server for generating and/or delivering theweb pages to client computer systems.

In an exemplary embodiment, the computer system 1300 can be provided asa single unit, e.g., as a single server, as a single tower, containedwithin a single housing, etc. The single unit can be modular such thatvarious aspects thereof can be swapped in and out as needed for, e.g.,upgrade, replacement, maintenance, etc., without interruptingfunctionality of any other aspects of the system. The single unit canthus also be scalable with the ability to be added to as additionalmodules and/or additional functionality of existing modules are desiredand/or improved upon.

A computer system can also include any of a variety of other softwareand/or hardware components, including by way of non-limiting example,operating systems and database management systems. Although an exemplarycomputer system is depicted and described herein, it will be appreciatedthat this is for sake of generality and convenience. In otherembodiments, the computer system may differ in architecture andoperation from that shown and described here.

The devices disclosed herein can also be designed to be disposed ofafter a single use, or they can be designed to be used multiple times.In either case, however, the device can be reconditioned for reuse afterat least one use. Reconditioning can include any combination of thesteps of disassembly of the device, followed by cleaning or replacementof particular pieces and subsequent reassembly. In particular, thedevice can be disassembled, and any number of the particular pieces orparts of the device can be selectively replaced or removed in anycombination. Upon cleaning and/or replacement of particular parts, thedevice can be reassembled for subsequent use either at a reconditioningfacility, or by a surgical team immediately prior to a surgicalprocedure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that reconditioningof a device can utilize a variety of techniques for disassembly,cleaning/replacement, and reassembly. Use of such techniques, and theresulting reconditioned device, are all within the scope of the presentapplication.

Preferably, components of the invention described herein will beprocessed before use. First, a new or used instrument is obtained and ifnecessary cleaned. The instrument can then be sterilized. In onesterilization technique, the instrument is placed in a closed and sealedcontainer, such as a plastic or TYVEK bag. The container and instrumentare then placed in a field of radiation that can penetrate thecontainer, such as gamma radiation, x-rays, or high energy electrons.The radiation kills bacteria on the instrument and in the container. Thesterilized instrument can then be stored in the sterile container. Thesealed container keeps the instrument sterile until it is opened in themedical facility.

Typically, the device is sterilized. This can be done by any number ofways known to those skilled in the art including beta or gammaradiation, ethylene oxide, steam, and a liquid bath (e.g., cold soak).An exemplary embodiment of sterilizing a device including internalcircuitry is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 8,114,345, filedFeb. 8, 2008 and entitled “System And Method Of Sterilizing AnImplantable Medical Device.” It is preferred that a device, ifimplanted, is hermetically sealed. This can be done by any number ofways known to those skilled in the art.

One skilled in the art will appreciate further features and advantagesof the invention based on the above-described embodiments. Accordingly,the invention is not to be limited by what has been particularly shownand described, except as indicated by the appended claims. Allpublications and references cited herein are expressly incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a first electromechanicalarm configured for movement in multiple axes and a secondelectromechanical arm configured for movement in multiple axes; a tooldriver attached to the first electromechanical arm such that power issupplied to the tool driver from the first electromechanical arm, andwherein the tool driver includes a wireless interface and a batteryenabling removal of the tool driver from the first electromechanical armand placement of the tool driver in the second electromechanical armwithout restarting the tool driver; and a processing unit in wirelesscommunication with the tool driver.
 2. The system according to claim 1,wherein the tool driver includes at least one of a radio frequencygenerator and an ultrasonic transducer.
 3. The system according to claim2, wherein the tool driver includes at least a memory, wherein thememory is configured to store calibration information related to the atleast one of the radio frequency generator, the ultrasonic transducer,and usage information related to the tool driver.
 4. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the tool driver includes an end effectorthat is at least one of released and reloaded after the tool driver isremoved from the first electromechanical arm.
 5. The system according toclaim 1, further comprising: a sensor configured to determine one ormore position changes when the tool driver was moved from the firstelectromechanical arm to the second electromechanical arm.
 6. The systemaccording to claim 5, wherein the sensor includes at least one of anaccelerometer, a gyro, a relative position sensor, and athree-dimensional magnetic sensor.
 7. The system according to claim 5,wherein the sensor is configured to generate position informationcharacterizing the one or more position changes, wherein the positioninformation is transmitted via the wireless interface from the tooldriver to the processing unit.
 8. A method, comprising: attaching a tooldriver that includes an energy transducer and a wireless interfaceconfigured to communicate to a processing unit to a firstelectromechanical arm of a surgical robot such that the firstelectromechanical arm provides electrical power to the tool driver;removing the tool driver from the first electromechanical arm, whereinafter removal from the first electromechanical arm, the tool drivercontinues to communicate with the processing unit via the wirelessinterface, wherein electrical power is provided to the tool driver by abattery; and attaching the tool driver to a second electromechanical armof the surgical robot, wherein when the tool driver is attached to thesecond electromechanical arm, the second electromechanical arm provideselectrical power to the tool driver, wherein the tool driver continuesto communicate with the processing using via the wireless interface. 9.The method according to claim 8, wherein the energy transducer includesat least one of a radio frequency generator and an ultrasonictransducer.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the tool driverincludes at least a memory, wherein the memory stores calibrationinformation related to the at least one of the radio frequency endeffector, the ultrasonic transducer, and usage information related tothe tool driver.
 11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the tooldriver includes an end effector that is at least one of released andreloaded after the tool driver is removed from the firstelectromechanical arm.
 12. The method according to claim 8, wherein thetool driver includes a sensor to determine one or more position changeswhen the tool driver was moved from the first electromechanical arm tothe second electromechanical arm.
 13. The method according to claim 12,wherein the sensor includes at least one of an accelerometer, a gyro, arelative position sensor, and a three-dimensional magnetic sensor. 14.The method according to claim 12, wherein the sensor generates positioninformation characterizing the one or more position changes, wherein theposition information is transmitted via the wireless interface from thetool driver to the processing unit.